Brighton 2-2 Nottingham Forest: Premier League – as it happened

Here’s Simon Mail’s report from the Amex.

Andrew Crofts, Hurzeler’s assistant, speaking to Sky: “The tackle on Joao [Pedro] looked like it wasn’t a great tackle. We were upset with it. The reaction is to see what the referee does. I didn’t see it because I was communicating with a player. Next thing I saw the red cards to the managers. Joao took a nasty hit. Hopefully he’s OK.”

Chris Wood spoke to Sky: “In the manner of how the game has played out, at times we deserved the point, but we had to work hard for the point as well.

“I would have to see the challenge back, I have not seen it. It is one of those, Morgan has made a rash decision and we have to move on with that. The managers will have to come and comment on that, that is what they do.

Rick Harris gets in touch: “I have little sympathy with managers and players moaning about the number of games, because with 5 subs and PL clubs having much deeper squads the player minutes can be managed sufficiently – albeit that managers won’t be able to play their ‘strongest’ team in every game. Why not have a rule that any PL player can only play a maximum of 42 games a season? That would allow Rodri and Alisson to have a rest from time to time. Players minutes could be used as a 42 game equivalent to allow for sub appearances.”

Nuno certainly benefitted from putting on three subs at half-time.

Here’s the official explanation to that key incident.

Espen B gets in touch: “I think it is a clear second yellow. These days you can’t go in like that but clearly it’s not the ref’s decision as he says got the ball, so it must be the fourth official. Or the Brighton bench. Are the fourth official allowed to step in and overturn a decision though? Never seen that before. And how did the Brighton manager get sent off. Surely can’t have been for complaining?”

The referee clearly thought Gibbs-White had the ball.

Housekeeping – Hurzeler sent off, too

Full-time: Brighton 2-2 Nottingham Forest

90+6 min: Dunk was booked for that tackle, but then whips in a cross that Sels knocks behind. Two more corners end up being faced. Milenkovic clears, and that’s it. It finishes level.

90+4 min: Another break for Forest. The goal gapes. Dunk clatters Jota Silva and has Sosa got away? He drags wide but the flag was up in any case.

90+3 min: Forest spot a chance for a counter but then Minteh sidles back, then comes an offside and eventually Hudson-Odoi is booked for kicking the ball away in the nonchalant style of Declan Rice.

90+1 min: Six minutes added on. Joao Pedro is now furious with the ref as he wants a corner. He gets jeered by the Forest fans for his troubles.

90 min: Hinshelwood whips in a cross, to the back post, and Welbeck cannot get on the end of it. He’s furious with himself.

88 min: Joao Pedro is still limping but will soldier on. Ola Aina is forced to go back and cover as left-back but Forest cannot clear their lines.

86 min: Brighton’s Minteh, in plenty of space, makes a mess of cross. Or was it a shot? He soon makes amends with a far better ball. But no takers.

85 min: In old money, that’s a good tackle. In new money, who knows? Joao Pedro takes a while to get up. Forest are indignant.

Nuno is sent to the stands!

Red card – second yellow – for Gibbs-White

81 min: Evan Ferguson is coming on for Estupinan. Hurzeler wants the win. Big Ev really needs a goal.

79 min: It’s a far more open game but Brighton are the team pushing on. Forest are looking to that counter.

77 min: Peter Pearson gets in touch: “That Bill Evans track is lovely but Pharoah Sanders’ Harvest Time might be more seasonally appropriate, no?”

Sounds like prog-jazz. All in for that.

76 min: James Carpenter gets in touch: “Seems like the half time sub(s) is en vogue this season. Perhaps an inevitable consequence of being able to swap out half your outfield players nowadays?”

75 min: Jota Silva spots space for another run but this time, Lewis Dunk had read the move and stepped up for offside.

73 min: It’s been a game where the goals have come from just about nowhere. And been all the more entertaining for it.

72 min: Forest change: Chris Wood’s lonesome work is done, and Morato will join the defence.

71 min: Instant Brighton change: Joao Pedro on for Rutter.

Goal! Brighton 2-2 Nottingham Forest (Sosa, 70)

69 min: Welbeck, the nice man of football, commits what looks a loose foul. He escapes a yellow – his second.

67 min: As Forest push on, are Brighton likely to sit back? Hurzeler doesn’t seem the sort; they continue to pass the ball around, and it takes a Williams header to clear a Minteh ball headed for Mitoma.

65 min: James Milner in the stands, a man so physically fit he has a muscular face. He’s got a hamstring injury at the moment.

63 min: Forest on the attack, and they have a corner. Jota Silva gets booked for dissent after a clash with Veltman. All a bit “‘old me back”. The corner comes to nothing as Verburggen claims.

62 min: Brighton subs: Adringra and Baleba off, and on comes Minteh and Wieffer, the latter once of Arne Slot’s Feyenoord.

60 min: Gibbs-White booked now. He is all over Rutter as Brighton go on the counter. Meanwhile, Van Hecke has just done a no-look passing heading to MOTD’s Two Good, Two bad segment. It trickled off, to nobody.

59 min: Brighton get a corner but Forest clear; they’ve been solid on the set pieces at least. Otherwise, it feels fair to say those three subs didn’t come off. Here’s another one, Sosa forAnderson.

56 min: Paul Griffin is back in touch: “Bill Evans. What a shout. I’d recommend investigating ‘You Must Believe in Spring’ if you’ve not heard.”

All over it, Paul. Beautiful stuff.

55 min: Adringra tries to get in on the fun, but Yates this time does better, clearing the ball. It’s desperate stuff from Forest now.

54 min: More Mitoma magic, and Rutter volleys down, and off Williams. Mitoma is tearing Forest, well, a new one, as they say in Notts.

52 min: All Brighton now, Jota giving the ball away to Mitoma, whose cross almost sets up an own-goal. Murillo does well, such an instinctive defender.

49 min: Mitoma is really in it now…his ball inside finds Welbeck, who ducks and weaves and at point-blank range, Sels makes a fine save. Welbeck has so much as a striker though has never been the best finisher. He’s a manager’s dream, nonetheless. Top pro, nice man, too, from brief experience.

47 min: …..and William is immediately booked for a handball after Mitoma’s pass. Yates’ first appearance sees him thwart Rutter. Were Forest really so bad they needed three players coming out?

Back away we go:

John Magee got in touch over a piece I wrote this weekend: “it seems there has been an uptick in the number of players chiming in about the increase in games they are expected to play. Just wondering / pondering when or IF we could start to see the agents for some of the top players start to negotiate not just financial aspects of contracts but also limits to games or even minutes they play in each particular competion. Forgetting for a moment how this might impact their availabiity for international games, it might add an interesting dynamic to league games as the end of season closes in if Pep has to ponder the fact that Rodri only has 20 minutes in his yearly contract left to play…”

Paul Griffin gets in touch: “Good game. That Nuno Spirito Santo has surely the most jazz name in English football doesn’t he? In fact am fairly sure I saw the Nuno Spirito Santo Quartet do a storming post-bop set at the Blue Note on 47 West 63rd one moonlit night in late 58, or maybe 59, as John Coltrane looked on enviously. Although I recall they were blown off the stage by a world-changing set from the Tony Pulis trio. What that cat could do with a set piece can’t be described.”

As as a Bill Evans man, I’d like to see him line up with Eric da Silva Moreira on bass at the Village Vanguard, the room full of smoke, cologne and perfume.

Half-time: Brighton 2-1 Nottingham Forest

45+5 min: Nuno looks most unhappy. His gameplan has gone to pot. Meanwhile, Danny Welbeck has a problem. Will he be back for the second half?

45+3 min: Joel Veltman swings at a decent chance to make it three. Hurzeler is prowling the sideline now.

45+1 min: Four minutes were added on. Brighton will want more.

Goal! Brighton 2-1 Nottingham Forest (Welbeck, 45)

44 min: Mitoma in the game now, brought down by Aina, and that’s a yellow to the Forest defender.

43 min: That didn’t come against the run of play, but it did come against expectation; that was the first time Brighton put together a move and Forest were slack.

Goal! Brighton 1-1- Nottingham Forest (Hinshelwood, 42)

40 min: Adingra plays the ball to Rutter…and out. Oh dear. Brighton continue to disappoint.

39 min: Danny Welbeck booked for dissent as he complains that James Ward-Prowse has tripped up Rutter cynically. Referee Rob Jones is having none of it.